Public Resources

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Overview

More Effectively Managing Public Resources is one of the OGP grand challenges and includes measures that address budgets, procurement, natural resources and foreign assistance.

Greg Thompson & Alan Wolfe (Transparency International Australia), Jessie Cato (PublishWhatYouPay) are leading the way on this civil society initiative. We’re also working with members of the OGP’s Working Group on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources

Openness in Natural Resources Working Group (ONR WG) recognizes that good governance in the natural resource sector is fundamental to effectively manage the sector and ensure social and economic benefits, and sustainable development.

The working group takes a focused approach, and zeroes in on a number of critical natural-resource related issues: (a) disclosure of contracts, beneficial ownership and environmental data / information, (b) adherence to data standards, and (c) implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This concerted approach creates a tipping point effect around key challenges, promoting both the quality and the quantity of commitments.

Natural Resources are part of the OGP Public Resources Grand Challenge, which includes budgets, procurement, natural resources and foreign assistance.

Outline of commitments in progress by this group in Australia

The Australian Government to commit to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)

The Australian Government has provided substantial support internationally through the aid program to this global initiative since 2005 and in 2013, 14 conducted a Pilot domestic implementation, The Multi-stakeholder Group overseeing the Pilot recommended that Australia should implement the EITI and the Department of Industry has negotiated with State Governments who now all support implementation. We await a decision by Josh Frydenberg for implementation. In the UK and USA OGP Action Plans each Government has made a commitment to implement the EITI and such a commitment is a feature of other Government’s committed to the OGP (eg Indonesia and PNG).

We are confident such a commitment would be successful.

Mandatory disclosures of payments to Governments by extractives companies

For example (as USA Dodd Frank), Canada, EU (UK, France, Germany). Currently there’s no commitment by Australian Government on this, but Board of Taxation is looking at the issue of country by country reporting as a voluntary measure. Companies like BHP B and Rio Tinto argue such a commitment be mandatory here as well as they are already required to do this in UK and USA.

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